Who does what in an EHR migration: team roles
An EHR migration needs a small team with clear jobs: a project owner who runs the plan and makes decisions, a clinical lead who reviews notes and the field mapping, a billing lead who handles claims and balances, front desk staff who manage schedules and client messages, and a technical partner who runs the move. Name each person before you request a test export.
- Name a project owner first; they keep the plan and make the calls on scope, dates and what to archive.
- Clinical and billing leads review the field mapping, the sample migration and the reconciliation report for their areas.
- Agree in writing who signs off each stage, so each step is checked by the right person before the next one starts.
What does the project owner do?
- Keeps the plan, the dates and the issue list.
- Acts as the main contact for the old vendor, the new vendor and the migration partner.
- Decides what moves and what goes to the archive.
- Sets the cutover date and freeze time with the team.
- Signs off the final reconciliation report.
In a small practice, the practice owner or office manager usually takes this role.
What does the clinical lead do?
- Confirms which clinical records, forms and assessments must move.
- Reviews the field mapping for notes, diagnoses and treatment plans.
- Checks the sample charts and organizes spot checks by each clinician after go-live.
What does the billing lead do?
- Lists open claims and balances and decides where each claim will be finished.
- Reviews the mapping for insurance, payers and balances.
- Checks billing in the sample migration and confirms that new claims go out from the new system only.
If an outside billing company works in your EHR, include them in this role.
What do front desk staff do?
- Mark past appointments and update client status before the export, as in how to clean up EHR data before a migration.
- Check schedules and recurring appointments in the sample.
- Tell clients about anything that changes for them, such as a new portal login or new reminders.
What does the technical partner do?
The technical partner may be your new EHR vendor's onboarding team or a migration service. They review the export, build the field mapping with you, run the sample and the full migration, and should give you a reconciliation report. Questions to ask before hiring an EHR data migration service helps you compare options.
Who signs off each stage?
| Stage | Who signs off |
|---|---|
| Scope and archive decisions | Project owner |
| Field mapping | Clinical lead and billing lead, then the project owner |
| Sample migration | Clinical lead and billing lead |
| Cutover date and freeze time | Project owner |
| Reconciliation report | Project owner, after the clinical and billing leads review it |
Frequently asked questions
Who should own an EHR migration project?
One named person with the authority to decide on scope, dates and what to archive, usually the practice owner, administrator or office manager.
Does a solo practice need a migration team?
A solo clinician holds most roles, but it still helps to name who handles billing and who the technical partner is, and to set aside time to review the sample and the reconciliation report.
What does the clinical lead review in an EHR migration?
The list of clinical records to move, the field mapping for notes, diagnoses and treatment plans, the sample charts, and the spot checks after go-live.
Who does Ferry need from our team?
A project owner to keep the plan moving and a clinical lead to review the field mapping and the reconciliation report. Ferry runs the technical migration.
See where each role fits in the full project in the complete guide to EHR data migration.
How Ferry helps
Ferry migrates data between behavioral health EHRs at a fixed price, with a reconciliation report for every record type. Get a migration quote.